Michael Carrick has explained his decision to drop Bruno Fernandes for Manchester United's Premier League match against Bournemouth, stating the call was made purely for footballing reasons.
Fernandes, the club's captain, is named among the substitutes for Sunday's fixture after appearing to criticise Carrick's tactics during United's 4-1 defeat away to Como in the Champions League. He drops out of the starting line-up alongside Matheus Cunha, Matthijs de Ligt and Noussair Mazraoui, with Amad, Ayden Heaven, Carlos Baleba and Leny Yoro coming into the team.
Carrick's reasoning
Carrick acknowledged the decision was a difficult one to take. Fernandes arrived at Old Trafford for the match with his hood up as he prepared to start on the bench.
The move follows comments from Fernandes in the week that drew a strong response from pundits. Gary Neville called the midfielder's remarks "devastating" on Sky Sports, saying: "It's a direct attack on the manager. If you go back 25 years, these players would never be anywhere near the club, never mind the pitch; they'd be gone, finished, but Manchester United aren't in that position anymore, and neither is Michael Carrick."
Pundits react
Neville added: "There has to be a consequence, for Michael's own reputation, he's got to do it for himself. Fernandes has been a fantastic player for this club; he's been world-class at times, but being really blunt about it - he's played awfully this season; his standards have been really poor; it's a mess."
Jamie Carragher also backed the decision, saying: "He's Manchester United's best player, but he had to make a stand, Michael Carrick. You're hoping, 'could this bring us together as a group?' Even though he's the best player, there'll be a lot of people who don't actually like playing with him in the Manchester United team because he's permanently throwing his arms up at people; he's basically saying, 'you're not good enough to play with me'."
Neville further commented on the wider situation at the club, noting the influence of senior players: "The two most prominent players in the team - a World Cup winner and the PFA Player of the Year - coming out and hammering the owners, hammering the sporting director and criticising the manager, all in the space of a week means the players have completely gone."
Fernandes' absence from the starting XI marks a significant call by Carrick as United face Bournemouth at Old Trafford.
